Assessing the level of perceived social support among community-dwelling stroke survivors using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

Abstract

Social support has an important role in stroke rehabilitation. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is an instrument examining the adequacy of perceived social support. However, the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of MSPSS (MSPSS-C) have not been examined in Chinese people with stroke. This study aimed at investigating the psychometric properties of the MSPSS-C, identifying the correlations between MSPSS-C scores and health-related measures of these people; and examining the differences in the levels of perceived social support between people with and without stroke in Hong Kong using a cohort of 57 community-dwelling people with stroke and 50 age-matched healthy controls. We found that the MSPSS-C subscales demonstrated excellent internal consistency, and a ceiling effect was observed for the family subscale of the MSPSS-C. The total MSPSS-C score had significant weak to moderate correlations with the scores of the concerned variables of interests. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure for the MSPSS-C. People with stroke had lower levels of perceived social support from friends and their significant other than those without stroke. The MSPSS-C is a valid tool for assessing perceived social support among chronic stroke survivors with moderate to very severe motor impairment.

Sleep Quality and Suicidal Ideation in Adolescent Depression: A Chain Mediation Effect of Perceived Social Support and Resilience

“…The PSQI, a widely utilized tool for evaluating sleep quality, serves as a reliable indicator capable of reflecting the global sleep status across diverse populations, with a Cronbach's α ranging from 0.82 to 0.83, and higher global PSQI scores indicate poorer sleep quality (Huang and Zhu 2020). The MSPSS, a prominent instrument for assessing social support, assesses the perceived adequacy of social support, with higher scores indicating greater perceived social support (Ng et al 2022).…”

“…The MSPSS, a prominent instrument for assessing social support, assesses the perceived adequacy of social support, with higher scores indicating greater perceived social support (Ng et al. 2022). The instrument demonstrates a high level of internal consistency, with a Cronbach's α of 0.89 (Ng et al.…”

“…The instrument demonstrates a high level of internal consistency, with a Cronbach's α of 0.89 (Ng et al. 2022). The RISC is employed to measure stress coping ability, exhibiting a Cronbach's α of 0.85 (Tourunen et al.…”

Social Inhibition and Depressive Symptoms among Couples with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Mediating Role of Perceived Family Support

“…Higher scores indicate a greater perceived level of support. The Chinese version of the MSPSS has been validated and shown to be reliable [ 35 ]. In our study, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency was calculated to be 0.86.…”

Relationships among perceived social support, mindful self-care, and resilience among a sample of nurses in three provinces in China: a cross-sectional study

“…Higher total scores on this scale indicate higher levels of perceived social support among participants. The Chinese version of the MSPSS, translated by Jiang et al ( 36 ), demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity and has been widely employed in diverse studies ( 37 , 38 ). In the present study, the Cronbach’s α of the scale was 0.971.…”